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Without the right to communicate and democratisation of communication, the right to life, liberty, freedom of speech and expression is meaningless.It attempts to keep track of traditional media, offline media and digital media that faces the onslaught of monopolistic tendencies and is wary of localisation of media. It is part of Citizens Forum for Civil Liberties (CFCL) For Details: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/mediavigil/info

Sir,With due respect this is with reference to the creation of a
18 member National Committee on Direct Cash Transfers using Aadhaar- UID by the
Prime Minister on October 25, 2012 in contempt of Parliament, federalism and
citizens' rights. I submit that with this we are entering into an era of
rampant identity frauds through multiple UIDs and industrial and corporate
espionage. US Federal Trade Commission statistics reveals more than 2,79,000 instances
of identity theft in 2011, up from 2,51,100 a year earlier.I submit that as part of its e-governance initiative Indian
National Congress led United Progressive Government's UIDAI has been misleading
the residents, citizens and the media about the UID Number scheme being
voluntary, the ‘Legal Framework For Mandatory Electronic Delivery of Services’
of Union Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, refers to “UIDAI
– UID based authentication for services” as an enabler, thus making it
compulsory. I submit that the UID proposal is located in e-governance
program that was launched in 1975 with the setting up of National Informatics
Centre. The UID Number project is deceptively linked to Multipurpose National
Identification Card (MNIC) project proposed in 2002 to a engineer a bipartisan
support and suppress the fact that its origins in India lie in the
controversial year of 1975. I submit that it appears to be linked to Islamabad
based National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) was
established in March 2000 to provide integrated homeland security solutions in
Pakistan. Earlier, it was established as National Database Organization (NDO),
an attached department under the Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan
in 1998. On 10 March, 2000, NDO & Directorate General of
Registration (DGR) merged to form NADRA, an independent corporate body with
requisite autonomy to operate independently and facilitate good governance.
With the mandate of developing a system for re-registering 150 million
citizens, NADRA launched the Multi-Biometric National Identity Card project
developed in conformance with international security documentation issuance
practices in the year 2000. The program replaced the paper based Personal Identity
System of Pakistan that had been in use since 1971. To date over 96 Million
citizens in Pakistan and abroad have utilized the system and its allied
services to receive tamper resistant ISO standard Identification Documents.
NADRA has developed solutions based on Biometrics and RFID technology and has
the largest IT infrastructure in Pakistan with highly qualified technical and
managerial resources enabling NADRA to provide customized solutions to any
country. Is there any development indicator that suggests that citizens or
residents in Pakistan have benefited from UID version (Multi-Biometric
National Identity Card project) there. I submit that heads of NADRA and Unique Identification
Authority of India (UIDAI) like Shri Tariq Malik and Shri Nandan Monohar
Nilekani have been awarded by ID WORLD International Congress, the Global
Summit on Automatic Identification in Milan, Italy. This coincidence merits
parliamentary scrutiny. I submit that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has informed
Imran Khan, Chairman, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf in an exclusive interview that
"we discovered a cable in 2009 for the Islamabad Embassy. Prime Minister
Gillani and and Interior Minister (Rahman) Malik were in the embassy and
offered to share NADRA, that is, the voting record system of all voters in
pakistan. And a front company was setup in United Kingdom (UK), International
Idenntity Services, which was hired as the consultant for NADRA to scroll out
NADRA data of all of Pakistan. It seems to me that is a theft of some national
treasure of Pakistan the entire Pakistani Database registry of its
people." It is noteworthy that WikiLeaks divulged an alleged leaked
diplomatic cable. Pakistan’s NADRA like India's UIDAI and Census Commissioner
& Registrar General of India of National Population Register (NPR)
which holds the personal record of the country’s citizens.I submit that there is something inexplicable about following
multiple identities of Shri Nilekani:1) He is head of Technology Advisory Group on Unqiue Projects
(TAGUP) that proposes "private company with public purpose" and with
"profit making as the motive but not profit maximising".2) He is head of Unique Identification Authority of India
(UIDAI) which is functioning without legislative approval either at the centre
or in the states and has signed contracts with US companies like L1 Identities
Solution that works with US Intelligence agencies.3) He is head of Committee on Electronic Toll Collection (ETC)
technology for use on National Highways that proposes Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID). 4) He is head of Inter-ministerial task force to streamline
the subsidy distribution mechanism 5) He is head of Government of India's IT Task Force for
Power Sector6) He is member of National Knowledge Commission7) He is member of Review Committee of the Jawaharlal Nehru
National Urban Renewal Mission8) He is member of National Advisory Group on e-Governance9) He is member of Subcommittee of the Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI) that dealt with issues related to insider
trading10) He is member of Reserve Bank of India's Advisory Group on
corporate governance11) He is member of Prime Minister's National Council on
Skill Development 12) He is member of Prime Minister headed National Committee
on Direct Cash Transfers13) He is an invitee to the Cabinet Committee on UID related
mattersThe list is not exhaustive. Shri Nilekani has many more
identities as a shareholder and as a former head of a corporation. I submit that threat of discontinuance of services for those
citizens who do not have UID-Aadhaar has been castigated by Shri Yashwant Sinha
headed Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance while examining and
rejecting the National Identification Authority of India (NIAI) Bill, 2010.The NIAI Bill read: NIAI is “to provide for the establishment
of the National Identification Authority of India for the purpose of issuing
identification numbers to individuals residing in India and to certain other
classes of individuals and manner of authentication of such individuals to
facilitate access to benefits and services to such individuals to which they
are entitled and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.” This did not reveal its true motives of the proposal. Two of
his motives have been underlined by Shri Nilekani in his book “Imagining India”
where he argues that a National ID can create a common land market which can
alleviate poverty and undo the constitutional amendment that abolished right to
property as fundamental right in 1978. It must be noted that land and water co-exist. Therefore,
there is a need to re-examine the role of Arghyam, an Indian public charitable
foundation and its Project Grants, the India Water Portal and the Urban Water
Initiative with an endowment from Smt Rohini Nilekani, Shri Nilekani’s wife.
Unless, Arghyam takes position against Special Economic Zones, common
land/water market, corporatisation of land/water and transfer of water from
rural to urban areas, its motives might appear questionable. Together with UID Number, National Intelligence Grid
(Natgrid) Chief has proposed to create “private territorial armies” to
safeguard security of commercial empires. This would erode the autonomy of the
states as envisaged in our Constitution. It appears quite sad that the State Government is
implementing the UID Number without taking sound legal advice and without
acknowledging that this project has just been abandoned in UK and other
countries. I submit that on its website Unique Identification Authority
of India (UIDAI) continues to claim that UID-Aadhhar is ‘voluntary’ and not
‘mandatory’. The billion dollar question is: how can Aadhaar be deemed
‘voluntary’ if service delivery is being made dependent on it. This is a grave
breach of public trust. This is a deliberate exercise in deception. The
proposed ‘electronic transfers of benefits and entitlements’ through
‘Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of the beneficiaries’ is crafted to make it
mandatory. I submit that a "Citizens Declaration Against UID
Number" adopted at a meeting organised by Sahari Adhikar Manch and Indo
Global Social Service Society in New Delhi sought abandonment of the UID project. I submit that a meeting "to learn from ongoing
struggles, discuss Legislative Oversight on IFIs and strategise towards
Policy Standards for National/Private financial institutions in India"
held in Kolkatta some 70 organisations called for the scrapping of the UID
Number project. This meeting was organised by National Alliance of People’s
Movements, Bank Information Center, National Hawkers Federation and Delhi
Forum.I submit that a National Seminar organized jointly by A N
Sinha Institute of Social Studies (ANSISS), Patna, Indian Social Action Forum
and Citizen’s Forum for Civil Liberties on “Idea of Unique Identification (UID)
Number/ Aadhaar Project” on 21st February, 2011 in Patna also sought stoppage
of the project.This is with specific reference to the harmful ramifications
of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between gullible State Governments
and Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in 2010 prior to the
introduction of The National Identification Authority of India, Bill 2011 in
December 2010 which has since been rejected by the Parliamentary Committee on
Finance. The MoU is linked to several other related programs and proposed
legislations which has not been revealed so far. It has emerged from academic
research on the subject that there are inherent dangers of Unique Identity
(UID) Number/Aadhaar Number. I wish to draw your attention towards what Dr Manmohan Singh,
Prime Minister of India and in charge of Prime Minister's Council of UIDAI
Authority of India that was set up on 30 July 2009 said when he met the five
"chosen" editors on June 29, 2011 to discuss Black Money etc.I submit that the message he gave to them in the context of
Back Money was "If the project Nandan Nilankani has promised to design, if
the UIDAI can give unique ID numbers to all our residents we would have
discovered a new pathway to eliminate the scope for corruption..." The fact is that the government is promoting UID Number as a
'magic number', "magic wand" and as a "solutions architecture"
mentioned in the Report of the Shri Nilekani headed Technology Advisory Group
(TAGUP) for Unique Projects dated January 31, 2011 presented to Union Ministry
of Finance recommends setting up of National Information Utilities (NIU) to
deal with complex Information Technology (IT) systems and projects like
Goods and Services Tax (GST), Tax Information Network (TIN),
Expenditure Information Network (EIN), National Treasury Management
Agency (NTMA) and New Pension System (NPS). The TAGUP was mentioned in the
Union Budget 2010 and 2011.It proposes NIUs as "private companies with a
public purpose:profit-making, but not profit maximizing." This is indeed
an startling proposition.I submit that this is quite disturbing because there has not
been any debate on the UID Number and related proposals and legislations either
in the state legislature or in the central legislature although “these systems
would be in active use for centuries” to facilitate unprecedented surveillance
by the government and its favourite commercial czars.The National Identification Authority of India Bill (NIAI),
2010 which has been introduced in the Rajya Sabha on December 3, 2010 after the
constitution of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and
appointment of Shri Nandan Nilekani as its Chairman in the rank and status of a
Cabinet Minister. So far he has not taken any oath of secrecy. The Bill seeks
to provide statutory status to the UIDAI which has been functioning without
backing of law since January 2009. This Bill is linked to the Land Titling
Bill, 2010, Privacy Bill, 2010, DNA Profiling Bill, 2010 and Public Information
Infrastructure and Innovations (PIII) for a National Knowledge Network besides
National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid), World Bank's eTransform Initiative,
Census and National Population Register (NPR) besides World Bank's eTransform
Initiative and NATO's UID policy.It is an acknowledged fact that we already have at least 15
identity proofs including Voter I card. Did Parliament or State Assembly ever
feel itself to be illegitimate because voters/citizens legitimise it with these
very identity proofs? Which international financial institution or
transnational influence has compelled the government to bulldoze a sixteenth
identity proof for residents of India? Dalai Lama has been enrolled. Are all
the diplomats and their embassies being asked to enrol as well?This project is unfolding without legislative approval in
manifest contempt of Parliament. There is a Bill pertaining to the UID Number that
was introduced in December 2010 after the launch of the UID Number in Rajasthan
in September 2010 the Rajya Sabha. Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance
examined the National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010 which
proposed to take legislative consent for granted as per its Section 57. The
central government agencies and State Governments ought to apply its rigorous
legal mind before proceeding with this proposal because it subverts India
federal structure beyond repair.I am attaching the Statement of Concern issued by citizens
like Justice VR Krishna Iyer, former Judge, Supreme Court of India and sixteen
other eminent citizens seeking abandonment of UID Number project meant for
Indian 'residents' because it is a anti-citizen project. It also poses a threat
to national security.It relevant to note that Shri Nilekani is the Chairman of: 1)
Technology Advisory Group on Unqiue Projects (TAGUP), 2) Unique Identification
Authority of India (UIDAI), 3) Committee on Electronic Toll Collection (ETC)
technology for use on National Highways, 4) Inter-ministerial task force to
streamline the subsidy distribution mechanism and 5) Government of
India’s IT Task Force for Power Sector.Besides the above Shri Nilekani is a member of 1) National
Knowledge Commission, 2) Review Committee of the Jawaharlal Nehru National
Urban Renewal Mission, 3) National Advisory Group on e-Governance, 4)
Subcommittee of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) that dealt
with issues related to insider trading and 5) Reserve Bank of India’s Advisory
Group on corporate governance.The Union Budget of 2009,
2010 and 2011 also refer to Shri Nilekani.I submit that a “Strategic Vision on the UIDAI Project”
document was prepared and submitted to Processes Committee of the Planning
Commission (set up in July 2006) by M/S Wipro Ltd (Consultant for the design
phase and program management phase of the Pilot UIDAI project). This Vision
document is missing. Another 15 page document of WIPRO’s titled “Does India
need a Unique Identity Number?” cited example of UK’s Identity Cards Act, 2006
on page 6 to advance the argument of UID Number in India. Now UK’s Government
has abandoned its National Identity Cards Scheme.I wish to draw your attention towards UK’s new Deputy Prime
Minister Nick Clegg's speech in British House of Commons wherein, he said:
“This government will end the culture of spying on its citizens. It is
outrageous that decent, law-abiding people are regularly treated as if they
have something to hide. It has to stop. So there will be no ID card scheme. No
national identity register, a halt to second generation biometric passports. We
won’t hold your internet and email records when there is just no reason to do
so. Britain must not be a country where our children grow up so used to their
liberty being infringed that they accept it without question. Schools will not
take children’s fingerprints without even asking their parent’s consent. This
will be a government that is proud when British citizens stand up against
illegitimate advances of the state.” Full text available: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8691753.stmMay I ask, is it the case that when UK implements National
Identity Cards Scheme, it should be cited as an example when it abandons the
programme, it becomes irrelevant and illogical? Why is WIPRO and UIDAI silent
about their UK example?May I ask, is it not conflict of interest that after
submitting the “Strategic Vision on the UIDAI Project” (which is missing now),
WIPRO has been getting contracts from UIDAI for “Deployment of 7 Project
Managers, Supply, Installation, Commissioning for Hardware & Software
for Data Centre at Bengaluru & NCR, Deployment of 32 Resource Personnel
and Monitoring Tools and Hiring of Data Centre Space (2000 sqft) &
Facilities for UIDAI at Delhi/NCR.” From December 2010 till May 2011, it has
got four contracts amidst reports of irregularities?.I submit that Dr Manmohan Singh has rightly said to the
editors on 29th June, 2011 that "Parliamentary Committee" and
the "Comptroller and Auditor General" of India "have a lot more
facts which were not available to those who took the decision."I submit that Dr Singh might not be aware that even Mahatma
Gandhi had opposed a law similar to UID as a Black Act in South Africa from
1906 to 1914 saying, “…I have never known legislation of this nature being
directed against free men in any part of the world. I know that indentured
Indians in Natal are subject to a drastic system of passes, but these poor
fellows can hardly be classed as free men” and “…giving of finger prints,
required by the Ordinance, was quite a novelty in South Africa. With a view to
seeing some literature on the subject, I read a volume on finger impressions by
Mr Henry, a police officer, from which I gathered that finger prints were
required by law only from criminals.” So there is a history to attempt by the
state to number human beings by the imperialist powers as well. It is akin to
imposing Salt Tax despite knowing that Mahatma Gandhi had opposed it.I wish to know from you as to what is the meaning of a
legislative exercise like NIAI Bill if the executive both at the centre and in
the states implement the UID Number. Either the legislative exercise is
illegitimate or the implementation of the project by the government? The
Citizens Declaration Against UID Number has underlined that UID Number project
is unconstitutional, illegal and undemocratic both for the present and future
generations.I wish to draw your attention towards 'A Passion Play', the
sixth studio album by Jethro Tull which was released in 1973. In one place in
the play it says: "The cameras were all around. We've got
you taped; you're in the play.
Here's your I.D. (Ideal for identifying one and all.)
Invest your life in the memory bank; ours the interest and we thank you."In view of the above, there is a compelling reason to re-visit
the assumptions of UID Number project along with related proposals like NATGRID
and legislations like Land Titling Bill that propose Unique Property
Identification Number for creating a common land market in the name of
alleviating poverty. I will be happy to share more information.

CcShri Sharad Yadav, Convener, NDASmt Sushma Swaraj, Leader of the Opposition, Lok SabhaMs. Mamata Banerjee , Chairperson, President, All India
Trinamool Congress Shri Naveen Patnaik, President, Biju Janata DalShri, Nitin Gadkari, President, Bhartiya Janata PartyShri Mulyam Singh Yadav, President, Samajwadi PartyMs Mayawati, President, Bahujan Samaj PartyShri Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy, General Secretary, Communist
Party of IndiaShri Prakash Karat, General Secretary, Communist Party of
India (Marxist)Shri Sharad Pawar, President, Nationalist Congress PartyDr J Jayalalitha, President, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra
KazhagamShri Nara Chandrababu Naidu, President, Telugudesam PartyCabinet Secretary, Government of India Secretary to the President of IndiaDr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister, Cabinet Committee on Security, Government of India Chief Minister, Government of BiharChief Minister, Government of TripuraChief Minister, Government of Uttar PradeshChief Minister, Government of Tamil NaduChief Minister, Government of PunjabChief Minister, Government of GoaChief Minister, Government of West BengalChief Minister, Government of Madhya PradeshChief Minister, Government of OdishaChief Minister, Government of JharkhandChief Election Commissioner, Election Commission of IndiaComptroller & Auditor General of IndiaChairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home AffairsChairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on FinanceChairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law & JusticeChairman, Public Accounts CommitteeChairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on DefenceChairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on External AffairsChairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on AgricultureHon’bleMembers of ParliamentLt Governor, Government of National Capital Territory of DelhiChief Secretary, Government of Andhra PradeshChief Secretary, Government of BiharChief Secretary, Government of ChattisgarhChief Secretary, Government of GoaChief Secretary, Government of GujaratChief Secretary, Government of Haryana,Chief Secretary, Government of Himachal PradeshChief Secretary, Government of Jammu and KashmirChief Secretary, Government of JharkhandChief Secretary, Government of KarnatakaChief Secretary, Government of KeralaChief Secretary, Government of Madhya PradeshChief Secretary, Government of MaharashtraChief Secretary, Government of OrissaChief Secretary, Government of PunjabChief Secretary, Government of RajasthanChief Secretary, Government of Tamil NaduChief Secretary, Government of Uttar PradeshChief Secretary, Government of UttarakhandChief Secretary, Government of West BengalChief Secretary, Government of PuducherryChief Secretary, Government of Arunachal PradeshChief Secretary, Government of AssamChief Secretary, Government of ManipurChief Secretary, Government of MeghalayaChief Secretary, Government of MizoramChief Secretary, Government of NagalandChief Secretary, Government of SikkimChief Secretary, Government of TripuraChief Secretary, Government of Andaman and Nicobar (UT)Administrator, Government of Dadra and Nagar Haveli (UT)Administrator, Government of Daman and Diu (UT)Administrator, Government of Lakshadweep (UT)Shri Kalva Kuntla Chandrasekhar Rao, President, Telangana
Rashtra SamithiShri Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary, Communist
Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-LiberationShri Provash Ghosh, General Secretary, Socialist Unity Centre
of India (Communist)Ms Medha Patkar, Convener, National Alliance of Peoples
MovementsMs Aruna Roy, Member, National Campaign for Peoples’ Right to
InformationShri Chittaranjan Singh, General Secretary, Indian Social
Action Forum Shri Arvind Kejriwal, Member, India Against Corruption

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